Homebrew IPA Recipe: Brew a Hoppy West Coast IPA at Home

West Coast IPA Overview

This recipe produces 5 gallons of classic West Coast IPA with 6.5% ABV and 65 IBUs. Expect bold hop bitterness balanced with citrus and pine aromas, a dry finish, and crystal-clear golden appearance.

Ingredients

Fermentables

• 9 lbs Light Dry Malt Extract (DME)
• 1 lb Crystal 40L malt (specialty grain)
• 0.5 lb Cara-Pils (for head retention)

Hops

• 1 oz Magnum hops (14% AA) – 60 min boil (bittering)
• 1 oz Cascade hops – 15 min (flavor)

The Cascade this recipe calls for
Learn To Brew Cascade Hop Pellets for Home Brewing, 1 lb
Cascade is the citrus-and-grapefruit hop the West Coast style was built on, and a pound is many batches' worth. Hop oils fade with warmth and air, so vacuum-seal and freeze what you do not use.
$20.68 ↗ as of 24 Sep 2026, 4:45am GMT+0000 Details(paid link)
• 1 oz Centennial hops – 5 min (flavor/aroma)
• 2 oz Citra hops – Dry hop (aroma)

Yeast and Other

• Safale US-05 or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale yeast)
• 5 oz corn sugar (for priming/carbonation)
• 1 Whirlfloc tablet (clarity, added at 15 min)

The Whirlfloc this recipe names
Whirlfloc Tablets, 10 Tablets
Half a tablet at 15 minutes drops protein and polyphenol haze out of the wort in the whirlpool. It is the single cheapest step toward the crystal-clear appearance the overview above promises.
$7.32 ↗ as of 24 Sep 2026, 4:45am GMT+0000 Details(paid link)

Brew Day Instructions

Step 1: Steep Specialty Grains

Heat 2.5 gallons water to 155°F. Place crushed Crystal 40L and Cara-Pils in grain bag, steep for 20 minutes. Remove bag, let drain (don’t squeeze).

The grain bag

CARGEN 14 inch Cotton Brew Bags for Grain and Dry Hopping, 15 Pack

Big enough to hold 1.5 lb of specialty grain for the steep and cheap enough that you can use one again for the dry hop in step 4 rather than fishing loose pellets out of the fermenter.

$7.99 ↗ as of 24 Sep 2026, 4:45am GMT+0000 Details(paid link)

Step 2: The Boil

Bring to boil, remove from heat, stir in DME completely. Return to boil. Add hops according to schedule. 60-minute boil total.

Step 3: Cool and Ferment

Cool to 70°F, transfer to fermenter, top off to 5 gallons with cold water. Pitch yeast. Ferment at 68°F for 7-10 days.

Cool it fast

Northern Brewer Copperhead Copper Immersion Wort Chiller

Copper conducts heat faster than stainless, so the same coil length reaches pitching temperature sooner. Speed matters here: the gap between flameout and a pitched yeast is the most vulnerable window of the whole brew day.

$164.99 ↗ as of 24 Sep 2026, 4:45am GMT+0000 Details(paid link)

Hold the fermentation temperature

Inkbird Dual Stage Temperature Controller

One probe, one setpoint, one switched outlet for a fridge and another for a heater. This is the difference between a target temperature and a hope.

$34.99 ↗ as of 24 Sep 2026, 4:45am GMT+0000 Details(paid link)

Step 4: Dry Hop

After 7 days, add 2 oz Citra hops directly to fermenter. Let sit 3-5 days for maximum aroma.

Step 5: Bottle

Bottle with priming sugar. Carbonate for 2 weeks at room temp. Chill and enjoy!

Priming sugar

Priming Sugar 5 oz, Two Packages

Pre-measured at 5 oz, which is the standard dose for 5 gallons of ale. Measuring priming sugar by eye is how bottles become grenades.

$7.35 ↗ as of 24 Sep 2026, 4:45am GMT+0000 Details(paid link)

Bottles

FastRack Amber Beer Bottles 12oz, Pack of 24

Amber glass, pry-off crowns. A hop-forward pale beer in clear or green glass will go skunky from light alone, which is a particular waste of 3 oz of hops.

$25.99 ↗ as of 24 Sep 2026, 4:45am GMT+0000 Details(paid link)

Capper and caps

Craft a Brew Capping Kit with 100 Bottle Caps

Capper plus enough crowns for two batches.

$24.99 ↗ as of 24 Sep 2026, 4:45am GMT+0000 Details(paid link)

Expected Results

• ABV: 6.3-6.7%
• IBU: 60-70
• Color: Golden (6-8 SRM)
• Ready to drink: 4 weeks from brew day